In the Eyes of the Beholder
by alexander4life
Summary: Sixteen year old Clary Fray finds herself accepted to a highly prestigious arts program in New York City. There, with the help of a mysterious blonde boy she must revisit the tragedies of her recent past, discover her true potential, and learn to enjoy life as it is. Never did she expect to uncover all that she did.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey fellow fanfictioners,**

**This is my first ever fanfic, and I hope that any reviews you give me will provide constructive criticism, advice, and encouragement. You should know that I'm a huge fan of the Mortal Instruments. In fact, one of my life long goals is to find and marry Jace (he is completely real, don't tell me otherwise). Although my story will be set in a world without shadowhunters, I hope that you find that the characters are as much themselves as possible.**

**I will try my very best to update as often as possible, as I know how terribly awful it can be to wait and writhe in agony for the next piece in a story.**

**Disclaimer: I am obviously not Cassandra Clare :( The characters belong to her. Only the plot is of my own creation.**

"Clary!" Simon scolded. "Stop with the tapping, you're creating a draft."

Clary was tapping her foot impatiently as she stood in line to see what dorm room she'd be staying in during her time at The Institute. The Institute was a highly regarded arts college located in New York that put on an annual summer enrichment program for highly gifted teens. During their summer, the accepted applicants at S.E.P. – Summer Enrichment Program- would take various classes that would mold, and nurture their growing talents.

As she looked around the spacious lobby area, Clary couldn't help but stare in awe at the variety of teenagers that were present. Musicians clutching tightly to their instrument cases, artists like herself with calloused hands and smears of color against their skin and clothing, and people who despite carrying suitcases, stood and moved with a grace only dancers could possess. She felt a comfortable contentness seeing all these people her age who seemed to live life with an undeterred, artistic passion. Comfort and contentness; two feelings that felt foriegn to Clary due to months of painstaking grief.

"Psst." Simon whispered a few moments later.

Clary turned to look at her best friend, taking in the familiarity of his shaggy brown hair, creamed coffee colored eyes, and adorably geeky glasses. She knew that this summer she'd miss spending everyday hanging out with him while watching anime, or listening to his terrible band play."What is it Si?" she replied.

"Don't look now," he said nudging his head to the right "but Goldilocks over there has been staring at you for at least the past 3 minutes. And, although being a straight male doesn't make me an expert, I'll make an educated guess and say that he seems to be what most horomonal teenage girls- like yourself- would refer to as "hot". Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong."

As subtly as possible, Clary cocked her head to the side to locate the said "hottie". A couple yards away she found a beautiful male with a lean, yet somehow broad muscular build, an artistically angular face, and wavy, almost curly hair tinted with a gold color that made her fingers itch for the art supplies in her suitcase. His gaze locked with her's as his mouth curved into a dangerous smirk, his golden eyes dancing with amusment as he winked at her. Clary couldn't help but succumb to an almost involuntary eye roll before directing her attention back to Simon." Well" she told him "he _is_ hot, if not a little arrogant"

"I called it! Well Clary, you're a pretty piece of girl and he's obviously interested. Go over there and woe him with your girlish charm."

Clary looked down at her worn sneakers, clutching tightly to her sketchbook. "No thanks. I'm good." she mumbled.

"Clary" Simon replied knowing the reason for her hesitation " you deserve to at least try and be happy. Stop telling yourself otherwise. What happened a couple months ago was not your fault."

"But it was" she whispered. Looking up from the floor, Clary stuggled to keep tears from falling onto her freckle-stained cheeks. As she did so, she came to find that they had finally reached the front of the line.

**-Line/Time Breakage-**

Simon and Clary lugged Clary's luggage across The Institute's campus after recieving Clary's room number and key from the woman at the front desk. The blistering sun had been beating down on them as they aimlessly wandered the ground searching for the girl's dorm rooms. As they were finally coming up to the dormitories Clary found herself colliding with a flash of gold.

Clary let out a squeal as she thudded onto the hard earth beneath her.

Simon hastily rushed toward her. "Clary, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Clary grumbled.

When Clary looked up to meet the eyes of her attacker she found herself face to face with none other than Golden Boy himself.

"Of course its you." Clary scoffed

The Golden Boy just chuckled as though he found her statement to be the epitome of hilarity. "Yeah, sorry there little red. I guess I wasnt watching where I was going."

Clary fumed. She hated when people refered to her wildly curly red hair and petite stature. She found it even worse when they refered to both in one sentence.

"I have a name you know" Clary retorted.

"And what would that name be?" Goldilocks asked as he lowered his hand to help her up.

"Clary" she replied as she used the leverage from his hand to hoist herself into a standing position.

"Mine's Jace, and may I say that that is one beautifuly morbid picture. I can see how you were accepted in." He was gesturing towards Clary's sketchbook that lay open beside her feet. The picture featured a plethera of hands- some old, some young- reaching for one withered rose. The hands seemed to be reaching eternaly for something that should have long ago been forgotten.

Clary's face paled. Hastily, she bent down to retrieve her fallen sketchbook. "I...Uh.. Umm... Thanks?" she said in response to his compliment.

"It makes me kinda wonder what other kind of creepy stuff goes through that little head of yours" he said while lightly tapping her forehead. " And for that matter, what happened to put it all there."

Clary angrily shoved his hand away." Its just a picture"

"A wonderfully expressive, intricately detailed picture." Jace said smirking. "The question is, what is it expressing?"

Clary scoffed. "You don't even know anything about me!"

"Exactly my point."

Clary turned to look at Simon, who had backed up a few feet to properly view the scene unfolding before him. There was a look of puzzlement in his eyes, and small smile forming across his lips.

"Simon" Clary said "lets get going. I want to find my room and start unpacking."

"See you around little red." Jace said as Clary grabbed her suitcase and turned to leave

"Hopefully not." Clary grumbled in response.

**-Line/Time Breakage-**

Clary and Simon spent the next few hours unpacking all of Clary's things into her quaint dorm room. The room consisted of two twin beds, two small desks, a large closet, and two matching dressers.

When they were almost finished, Simon pulled a book-like object from his backpack. "Here" he said handing it to Clary " its the next edition in Full Metal Alchemest. It'll give you something to do while I'm not around to bring ample amounts of excitment to your otherwise boring life."

Clary just snickered. "Thanks Si. Im really going to miss you." She led Simom towards the door.

"Fret not Clary dear. I'll be only a few miles away visiting Rebecca. We'll spend time together on the weekends when you can escape from gifted people life. We'll tour New York together this summer."

"Alright. Sounds like a plan. Thanks for driving me here by the way."

"Anytime Fray" Simon said reaching for his keys and turning to peck the top of her head. "And good luck dealing with Goldilocks." he mused as he shut the door behind him.

Clary threw herself onto the bed, wondering when her roomate would arrive, and what tomorrow's orientation would bring.

She closed her eyes, feeling utterly exhausted.

**Thanks so much for reading!**

**Any thoughts, questions, comments, suggestions? I'm open to all I promise!**

**Just so you all know, I do pretty much know where this story is going. It isn't formally outlined or anything, I just have a general idea. Ish. **

**Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! They made my day! Seriously, I think I'm addicted O.O I intended to update earlier, but with finals coming to a close and school ending (I'm officially a sophomore now!), going camping, and getting sick, things got a bit hectic! Now that school is over I plan to update about once a week. I'm so sorry it took forever to update this! It was a lot harder to keep up with it than I'd originally thought it'd be. I'll do better, I promise!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and Zofia ;)**

**Jace POV**

Jace smiled to himself as he watched the intoxicating red head grab her geeky male companion by the arm and stomp off in the direction of the girl's dormitories. He wasn't one to usually be so invasive, but something about her picture unnerved him. It was beautiful, he'd admit, but it reminded him of the days he spent in anger and turmoil.

Clary needed someone, he could tell. Yet, their was something else that drew him in. Something besides their obvious shared tragedies. Oh yes, he could tell. She'd been through the wringer too. Maybe it was her beauty that had him so captivated. But then again, Jace had been exposed to his fair share of beautiful women. Was it her fiesty, seemingly sarcastic attitude?

Whatever it was, Jace wanted more.

**Clary POV**

Clary was abruptly awoken by the sound of rapidly percolating coffee. Sitting up, she found an unidentified girl dressed in sweatpants and a Panic! At The Disco t-shirt doing yoga on a mat between the two beds.

"Morning roomy" the girl said. She looked to be maybe a year older than Clary with long, dark hair pullled into a ponytail that ran beneath her shoulder blades. Bright hues of orange, yellow, pink, purple, and blue colored the ends of each layer of her hair. A spider bite piercing ran beneath her bottom lip, and purple gages adorned her ears. Looking up to her face, Clary found that the girl had soft, pretty features consisting of a curved jawline, a sharp, distinctive nose, and kind blue eyes.

"Good Morning?" came Clary's reply.

"My name's Zofia. I took the liberty of preparing us freshly brewed coffee." She untied herself from the knot she had worked herself into, and pushed off the floor with her hands in order to stand. "The stuff practically runs through my veins; I'm so addicted."

Clay laughed. She immediately took a liking to the obviously bold, distinctive individual. "Same here. I take it black, like my soul."

Zofia laughed. She stood up and walked over to a small table located in a corner of the room to pour the coffee into two plain, white mugs. As she did so, Clary observed the girl's tall, slender build. "So what's your name?" Zofia asked

Flinging the covers off herself, Clary swung her legs out of the bed and walked over to the table where her savory coffee awaited. "Clary"

"So" Zofia said casually " I don't think I remember seeing you here last year. Are you a newbie?"

Clary nodded in response as she took a sip of her scalding coffee.

"What are you in for?"

Clary furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Its sounded like Zofia was referring to a prison camp or something. "Huh?"

Zofia laughed. "What's your 'gift'?" she said in a dramatic tone.

"Oh, I'm an artist I guess."

"Well, you must be a pretty good one to have gotten in. As long as you're not another piano player we'll get along just fine. I don't think I could've handled competing against someone new this year."

"What do you mean?"Clary asked clearly puzzled.

"Your summer here is an audition of sorts. You compete against others in your category to try and receive a full scholarship to study here at the end of your high school career. The board of directors will assess your work here, and hand out a scholarship to the most deserving. You'll learn more about it at orientation. Last year I got so close to winning one for piano playing, but I got beaten out by some ditzy bimbo."

"Wow. Tough break." Clary's mind was whirling with irrational thoughts. _Scholarship? It'd be great to go to college here. I could get away, but am I good enough? It's my first year in the program after all. The other artists are probably all wonderful. It'll take hard work to get it, and that will preoccupy my mind. That in turn might cause me to forget. I should never forget. Ever._

"Tell me about it." Zofia replied "This year my biggest competition will be an asshat- pardom my skewed french- by the name of Lightwood. He's a total man-whore, but he's undeniably yummy. He ranked just behind me last year. Knowing him, he will have gotten much better by now."

The next few moments passed quietly as both girls greedily drained their coffee mugs. It was Zofia who finally broke the silence.

"Anyway, orientation starts in a couple of hours and as much as I'm digging your superhero jammies, we should probably get ready for breakfast."

**-Line/Time Breakage-**

After Clary had showered and changed into a pair of skinny jeans, a plain, v-neck black tee, and a pair of converse she left the bathroom only to find that Zofia had traded her sweatpants for jeans and a pair of combat boots. After which they left the room and headed to the community campus building where the cafeteria was located.

The cafeteria was a scene of long lines, crowded table, and questionable looking food.

"Its sad isn't it?" Zofia mused "You'd think that with the school's hefty budget they would have opted to purchase better quality food. But alas, it was not meant to be."

"What the hell is that?" Clary exclaimed gesturing to a tray of greenish blobs in the possession of a random passerby.

"That-" echoed a male voice behind her "would be the protein providing substance we all call scrambled eggs." Clary turned to find none other than the beautiful asshat named Jace dressed in a black leather jacket. "Although in this state they are looking more like boogers." He finished with a shudder.

Zofia turned to face Jace all the while scoffing at his previous remarks. " Hey Jace. Thanks for the observations there. I don't know what we'd have done without you."She said with an overwhelming, sarcastic air in her tone.

"Anytime, _Mary." _Jace replied in a teasing voice.

"No! My name is not Mary!" Zofia protested

Clary stood off to the side marveling at the peculiar duo as their conversation unfolded. _How do _they _know each other? They seem so familiar with each other yet they seem so different._

"Really? Because I do believe that is the name your mother gave you." Jace said

Zofia gave Jace's arm a shove. "I should have never have told you that!"

Jace lauged. "Not your best decision."

Jace's laugh sent a wave of pure, unfiltered happiness over Clary. The sensation of happiness was something that Clary had almost forgotten. Yet, the magnitude of the emotion was one that was entirely new. It was so strong that Clary couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her lips.

The noise averted Zofia's attention, and she turned to look at Clary. "Oh, sorry, I should have introduced you. Clary," she said gesturing towards the boy "this is Jace Lightwood. He's the one I told you about; my competition this year."

_So _Jace _is the yummy asshat. _Clary thought to herself _They seem pretty friendly to be competitive with each other._

Clary was broken from her thoughts when she noticed Jace staring at her with a glint of something odd reflected in his eyes.

_Why is he looking at me like that? Do I have something stuck in my teeth? Does he want to eat me? _Clary giggled internally, finishing the laugh with a mental eye roll. _Of course he's not going to eat me. He's not a cannibal. Or so I think. _Clary found herself smiling, amused by her mental banter. _I guess I'm already starting to miss Simon. My inner thoughts are beginning to sound like him._

Jace tore his gaze away from Clary's face and rose his eyebrows in Zofia's direction. "Red and I have already met." He said in a tone that portrayed promiscuity.

"Oh no, you're not allowed to try and seduce her." Zofia moved and used her right hand to grasp Clary's arm. "I actually like this one."

Jace rolled his eyes. "It wasn't anything like _that._ I just- ...Sorta ran into her. And then knocked her over." He shrugged his shoulders casually.

Zofia on the other hand burst out laughing at the statement. Gaining her composure, she mustered up enough effort to place a hand on Jace's shoulder, and speak. "My friend, I have seen you do some pretty stupid things to get into a girl's pants. I'm always amazed by how your dumb ass behavior usually seems to get you laid. But, knocking a girl over must be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of you doing in order to get some action."

Jace tipped his head up indignantly. "It was an accident! If I was actually aiming to win her over with my boyish charm, I would have. Those 'dumb ass' tactics as you called them, never fail to impress. Look at me." He said running his hands down his torso "I'm irresistible. I wasn't trying to woe her...yet." He finished with a wink in Clary's direction.

Clary snorted. " You shouldn't even bother trying to 'woe' me." She turned to Zofia. "You don't need to worry. He's definitely not my type. Arrogance is not an attractive trait."

Jace placed his hands over his heart feigning hurt. "How quickly you dismiss our love."

By this time, the cafeteria was bustling, and had filled with loud teenage students who were reluctantly eating the strange food. Jace turned his attention from the scene, onto the two girls. " I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to spend my first official day of Summer in a crowded cafeteria trying to stomach down the nasty, greenish blobs. Zofia, how about we take Clary here and venture out on our regular breakfast routine."

Zofia raised her fist and exclaimed "To Taki's!"

With that, Jace grabbed Clary by the arm and lead them all out of the cafeteria and onto the black asphalt of the parking lot. Then, towards a black Corvet. Once there, he pulled out a set of keys from his jacket and unlocked the door. It looked so expensive to Clary and she wondered how he cold afford it. Zofia and Jace proceeded to open the doors, and slide into the front seats. Clary on the other hand remained awkwardly outside the driver's side door.

Jace rolled down the window and spoke. "Get in Red. We won't bite. At least, Zofia probably won't."

Clary, being the cautious person she was, was astonished by the fact that she was considering getting into a car, and driving off into a foreign city with two people she had just met. It seemed unsafe. But, she also thought back to the long tables clustered with icky food. She _was _hungry.

Clary decided to take a leap. The whole point in her journeying here to New York was to try to learn and live again. With a newly found excitement, she got in.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I had wanted to finish the chapter with the end of the trio's breakfast experience. But since this chapter is long overdue, I will put it in the next one. I was anxious to get it out for you guys. **

**I'm not sure whether I liked this chapter or not. Not much went on in my opinion. What do you guys think? Was it too short?  
**

**Whatcha think of Zofia? She's quite chatty, and alternative isn't she?... I love her.  
**

**All right, enough of my babbled questions!  
**

**Comments?  
**

**Suggestions?  
**

**Review!  
**


	3. Notification

**A/N: **

**As much as I'd hate being an author who posts an A/N as a chapter (something I told myself I'd never do), I found this necessary!**

**This is just to notify those of you who saw that I updated earlier this morning that re-posting the first chapter as the second chapter was a complete accident! I have now replaced the repeat chapter with the actual second chapter. Go check it out! Tell me what you think.**


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